How to write a term paper cover sheet in various formatting styles

Term papers are not very fun to write for most students. If you’re struggling with it, you should finish reading this page for some tips on how to make things easier. There are multiple styles you can use when formatting a cover page, and it’s hard to choose if your teacher didn’t specify which one. If you’ve finished your term paper and are sick of working on it, it’s hard to do one more thing and finish your cover page, too. Here are the two major styles you’ll be using for any given term paper.

Choose which one you want to use based on the subject matter of your paper, what your teacher has wanted for past assignments, and which one feels more professional to you. Both of these are regularly used at high level universities, so even if you’re in high school, college or a top university, you don’t have to worry about using either of these. Make sure that your teacher didn’t tell you which one to use before you pick at random; teachers can be very picky about what formatting they want.

APA Cover Page Styles

This starts with an 8.5” by 11” piece of paper and 1” margins on every side of the document. Always use Times New Roman font, 12 point. On the title or cover page, the running head should have a shortened version of the title of your paper, and a page number on the left side. Then put the full title of your paper, centered, your name, and the name of your college or university.

MLA Cover Page Styles

This style requires similar rules. You also need to have an 8.5” by 11” piece of paper and 1” margins on each side. Double space everything and use a legible 12 point font. Make sure the italics look different enough from the regular font to show that they are italic. Most term papers in MLA style actually prefer to have no cover or title page. If you still want to do one in this style, then in the upper left hand corner put your name, your teacher’s name, the date, and your class name. Center the name of your paper, and then begin your paper on the same page. You should also put your last name right next to the page number on the right top corner.

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